Door closer and check



April 1956 J. D. NORELlUS 2,741,793

DOOR CLOSER AND CHECK Filed Jan. 29, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 7, 1956 J. D. NORELIUS 2,741,793

DOOR CLOSER AND CHECK Filed Jan. 29, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 5 1 LJ\ l l I i 11111117 571 /J /A /J /1 /J /I/ /1,

United States Patent DOOR CLOSER AND CHECK John D. Norelius, Orebro, Sweden, assignor to Aktiebolaget Alcometaller, Orebro, Sweden Application January 29, 1953, Serial No. 334,928

1 Claim. (Cl. 16-52) This invention relates to a door closer and check of the type having a cylinder for oil in which there is rotatably arranged a shaft connected with a pair of links or the like for actuating a door, for example, as well as a drive piston which is displaceable within the cylinder and connected with the shaft in such a manner that, when the shaft under the action of the door, is rotated in a certain direction, the drive piston is moved closer to the shaft, a helical spring being so arranged within the oil cylinder itself between the drive piston and the shaft that the helical spring tends to move the piston away from the shaft, means being provided within the helical spring, said means connecting the drive piston with the shaft, for example, a chain and pison rod respectively, which allows the shaft to rotate in such a manner that the door can be opened more than 90.

The door closer and check according to the invention is characterized in that two substantially round disks are fixed on the shaft, and that a chain and a rod, adjacent ends of which are connected to each other, while at their other ends, the chain is connected with the disks and the rod with the drive piston, and that guide means are provided at the chain which prevent the same from folding upon itself.

The invention is illustrated in the attached drawings, Fig. 1 showing a vertical section of the door closer and check with arms and arm fastenings. Fig. 2 shows a horizontal section of the door closer and check along line 22 in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 shows a section along the line 3-3 in Fig. 1. Figs. 4 and 5 show in horizontal section and longitudinal section respectively details of the guide means for the chain, and Fig. 6 is another detailed view from the side of a modified form of means for guiding the chain.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 5 the numeral 1 designates the door closer and check housing or frame in which a hollow or chamber 2 in the shape of a cylinder is provided, and wherein a drive piston 3 is movable to and fro. A rod 4a is at one of its ends fastened to the piston 3 by means of a center pin 5, while the other end of said rod is fastened to an end of a chain 4, the other end of the chain being, by means of a pin 6, eccentrically fixed to two round disks 7. A square hole is made in the center of each of said disks through which a shaft 3 is inserted, said shaft having square parts 8a corresponding to and received in said square holes. 2 is closed at one end by a cover member 9 in which the shaft 8 is journalled, and member 9 has a recess at the side facing the cylinder 2 and in which the adjacent end of a helical spring 10 is guided, while the other end of the spring seats in, and is guided by, a recess of piston 3 opening axially toward cover member 9. The spring 10 is constructed so that it permits the movement of rod 4a and the chain 4 arranged inside the spring. The housing 1 is provided with upper and lower bearings 11 for shaft 8, the upper bearing being provided with a gasket, outside of which a protection casing 13 is arranged (only shown in Fig. 2). The upper end of the shaft 8 is dis- The cylinder 'ice posed in a packing box 12 arranged in the housing 1 and ending in a gland 14. Outside said packing box the shaft 8 has a quadrant-shaped portion 25 on which a disk 15, provided with an octagonal aperture is arranged so that the disk can be adjusted into various positions relative to the portion 25. On the outermost part of the shaft 8 a main arm 16 is arranged. The main arm 16 is held fast to the shaft 8 by means of a nut 26.

On the chain 4 there is arranged a pipe or tube 17 closely enclosing the chain. To the tube there is fixed a plate 17a which is placed in the guiding recess of cover member 9 between the spring 10 and the cover member so that .the pipe is held in position. As the pipe has such a length that connection of the chain to rod 4a in any position of the door is located within the pipe, and also is so narrow that the links of the chain cannot fold upon themselves, the door cannot close more rapidly than allowed by the piston 3. From the pipe 17 there extends an arcuate band 17b (Fig. 4) in the eye of which the shaft 8 is inserted and which also guides the links of the chain 4.

A hole 33 is provided in the piston 3, covered by a leaf spring or the like 34, which is held fast by screws 35. The spring 34 serves as a check valve for oil, which is poured into the frame upon removing upper bearing 11 and cover 13, allowing the oil to pass from the space within cylinder 2 at the left hand side of the piston to a compression chamber 32 on the right side of the piston but not in the opposite direction. An axial bore 22 (Fig. 3) is formed in the wall of the frame or housing 1 and its opposite ends open into passages communicating with the compression chamber 32 and with the space Within cylinder 2 at the left hand side of piston 3, respectively. The flow through bore 22 is controlled by means of a needle valve 20 having an actuating knob 19 at its outer end and a threaded plug 21 at its inner end to more or less obstruct bore 22. A packing box and gland 18 are provided around the needle valve 20 to prevent leakage past the latter to the outside of the frame or housing.

The outer end of the main arm 16 is, by means of a ball bearing 27 connected to a hollow link 28 having a longitudinal slot 29a, a rod 29 being arranged telescopically in link 23 and adapted to be locked in desired position by means of a screw 28a extending through the slot. The free end of the rod 29 has a ball bearing 36 thereon turnably connected to an arm fastener 31, which in turn is meant to be fastened to a door casing.

The door closer and check works in the following manner:

When the door is opened, the main arm 16 is swung around the axis of shaft 8, which is rotated, at the same time carrying along the disks 7. The disks bring along the chain 4 which, at one of its ends, is eccentrically fastened to the disks so that the chain rolls itself up on that part of the shaft 8, which is located between the disks 7. As the other end of the chain 4 is fastened to the piston 3 via the rod 4a, the piston at the same time moves towards the shaft 8, the spring 10 being compressed. A portion of the oil that filled the hollow space 2 of the frame at the left hand side of piston 3, is thereby forced through the hole 33, the check valve 34 of which has been opened by the oil pressure.

When one lets go of the door, the spring 10 tends to expand axially and consequently to drive the piston 3 back to the initial position for closing the door. The check valve 34, in closing the hole 33, forces the oil to pass from compression chamber 32 through the bore 22 to the hollow space on the left hand side of the piston 3. As can be seen from the above, this bore can, according to desire, be choked by means of the needle valve 1921, causing the movement of the piston to be braked, and,

consequently, the movement of the door as well. Thus, the door-movement is rather slow inthe direction of closing. Before the piston 3 has-reached its initial position, a hole 23 through the side wall of the piston 3 uncovers sachannel 24in theinner 'surface'of the frame, so thatthe-oil may passrapidly through this channel to the left handsideof the piston. The act of braking the rnovement'of the-piston now ceases, and the spring 10 can complete its expansion with reduced resistance from theoil. In this-Way the doorgets a'boost and can more easily close itself.

The invention is not i confined to the embodiment sh0wn,'but can,:as todet-ails, vary in many ways without exceeding the scope of the same. For example, a plate '37 may be-used 'as -aguide member for'the chain '4 'as shownin'l ig' 6. The plate37 has a longitudinal'slot 3S which at itsfront-end-opens -i-nto a large circular recess "'39. The plate 3'7- is provided withlugs 40 adjacent the recess-49. When this-plate' is-used as guide member the rod a-connecting'the chain with thepiston 3'is split longitudinally intotwo-laterally spaced parts which are connected to the end link of chain-4 at the opposite sides of the latter, and the rivets holding the chain links together are slidahlyzarranged in the slot 38. The shafts is arranged concentrically in the recess 39 and the lugs 4% are disposed between the left end of the spring 16 and the cover member 9 with the whole slot 38-being located within the spring. The device-described above is meant to replace the device 17, 17a and 17b in Figs.'1 and 2.

I-lavingnow described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A door closerandcheck comprising a hollow housing defining a cylinder for oil, ia 'piston axially reciprocatable in said cylinder, a helical spring in said cylinder between said piston'and one end of the housing to yieldably resist movement of the piston toward said one end of the housa ing, a shaft rotatably journalled. in said one end of the housing with its axis of rotation passing normal-to and through an extension of the longitudinal axis of said 7 spring, link means connected to said shaft and adapted to rotate said shaft in one direction in response to opening of a related door and to close the door in response to rotation of said shaft in the opposite direction, two disks secured on said shaft for rotation with the latter in spaced apart planes spaced equally from said extension of the Spring axis at opposite sides of the latter, a chain connected at one end to said disks at-locations on the latter spaced radially from the axis of said shaft'so'that the chain winds upon, and nnwinds from, the portion of said shaft between the disks in response to rotation of said shaft in said one direction and in said opposite direction,

respectively, a rod connected at one end to said piston at a location on the latter lying in said longitudinal axis of the spring, the other end of said rod being connected to the ot-her end of said. chain, and'griidemeanswithin said spring engaging-the unwound'portion of said chain in all positions of said piston and preventing folding of :References Cited in the ille of this patent UNITED STATESPATENTS 1,447,630 Richter Mar. 6, 1923 1,730,948 Rosenthal et al. Oct. 8,-1929 1,962,291 Anderson June 12, 1-934 2,528,904

Norballe a- Nov. 7, 1950 

